Articles of jewelry arranged for holding interchangeable gems or stones.



G. H. ALLEN. ARTICLES OF JEWELRY ARRANGED FOR HOLDING INTERCHANGEABLE GEMS OR STONES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.2,1909.

937,502. Patented Oct. 19,1909.

UNITED STATES PATENT onmon.

CHARLES H. ALLEN, OF ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS.

ARTICLES OF JEWELRY ARRANGED FOR HOLDING IN TERCHANGEABLE GEMS OR STONES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. is, race.

Application filed March 2, 1909. Serial No. 480,874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I," CHARLES H. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Attleboro, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new brooches, buttons, finger-rings, and kindred articles, and it consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement and combination of parts, all as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The object sought to be attained by the present invention is to provide articles of jewelry, say of the class above referred to, with simple and inexpensive permanent or integral settings adapted to be readily manipulated for the mounting and securing therein of interchangeable stones, gems or other ornaments. It may-be stated here that prior to this invention articles of jewelry have been devised in which interchangeable gem settings are employed; in such former constructions, however, each mounting, which includes the setting and its stone permanently secured therein and constituting a unitary member, is bodily removable. In some cases practically the entire front, carrying the setting and stone, is removably secured to the back or base of the article,

thereby providing a degree of interchangeability.

In the present case the article of jewelry embodying the improvement forming the subject of this application for patent 1s provided with a permanent or non-detachable setting having normally arranged means for positioning the individual gem or ornament in the setting, and manually controlled selflocking means for securing and maintaining the gem in place therein; the construction being such that individual stones or ornaments varying in species, quality, color, form, 620., may be quickly interchangeably substituted and detachably secured in the setting and its seat as desired; it being understood that the base portions proper of the stones are all'substantially alike in form and size, corresponding with the seat of the setting in which they are to be mounted.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 represents in enlarged scale a front elevation of a scarf-pin or stick-pin embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a corresponding side view. Fig. 3 is a View showing the obverse face of the front or base member itself, the stone, &c., being omitted. Fig. 4 is a corresponding view showing the reverse side of it. Fig. 5 represents the obverse face of the back member, detached. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view, enlarged, taken substantially on line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing one form of a stone or ornament detached from the setting. Fig. 8 is a similar view of the same, showing a slight modification. Fig. 9 represents, enlarged, a front elevation of a cuif or collar-button embodying the improvement. Fig. 10 is a corresponding back view, andFig. 11 is a vertical sectional view, taken substantially on line as w of Fig. 9.

'lhe following is a detaileddescription of the invention: The article of jewelry, as for example, a scarf-pin A embodying the improvement and shown in Figs. 1 to 8, consists of a head comprising the front member a, the back (5, and a removable stone or ornament B. A bent wire stem or pin proper t is constructed so that its upper end part passes throughsaid'back d and is sol- 'dered to the inner face of the front member mat a point near the top,.as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The member a 1s formed or struckup from suitable thin sheet-metal stock. As represented the general sha e of the member is oval, its central portion ein slightly depressed or recessed .to form a at seat f for the stone or ornament At-predetermined places around the ed e of the recessed part the metal is cut and the corresponding portions of the stock bent outward at an inclined angle to the seat so as to produce a plurality of positively positioned V-shaped integral prongs or fingers b whose free ends extend inward over the marginal edge of said seat, as clearly shown. A clear opening 0 is formed say throu h the lower portion of the member a adapte to freelyreceive the movable prong (Z of the back member (1, soon to be described. The rear face of member a has also a circumscribing shallow outer rim or flange a the lower end of which is cut away to produce a narrow recess 03". See

- Fig. 4. The said member at is also formed from suitable thin sheet-metal havin a degree of res1l1ency,as German sllver; 1 s outer Jstone may be quickly an periphery is made to conform to the inner contour of the flange a and is soldered to the upper portion of the latter- The member constitutes a flat back for the head portion of the article A and has a hole t (Fig. 5) therein at one end through which the pin-shank 25 extends. The opposite or lower end of member d has an integral tongue fitting sa1d recess al and terminates ther'ebeyond in a suitably shaped lug or finger-piece d The plate is further provided with an integral prong cl produced by bendin the stock, within the opening 01 The ree end of the prong extends upward through the front members opening 0 and when in use 15 adapted to engage the corresponding part'of the ornament. i

The form or shape of the insertible 'stone or ornament B may be made as desired and produced from precious, semi-precious or artificial stones or other substances. The back portion of the member B is adapted to fit the seat f, the said prongs being employed for holding the stone 1n position thereon. If desired the bottom of the stone and its lower edges may be provided with a fixed metal shoe or lining h; this latter serves not only to protect and conceal the marginal edges of. the member B but at the same time may bequite ornamental. Assuming now that the front ,and back members,.a and (Z, have been constructed, arranged and connected together substantially as described, the manner of mounting a stone, as B, therein and removing it therefrom is as follows: The stone selected is first positioned with respect to the seat and then pressed 'in' an endwlse or longitudinal direction past the prong d of the yielding plate (1 (see dotted lines Fig. 6) and between the fixed side prongs until arrested by the stationary upper end prong b, at which instant the plate d with its prong d springs or snaps back to the normal position, thereby positively locking the stone in place, substantially as represented in Fi s. 1, 2 and 6. The readily removed from its setting so as to insert anothert-herein by first simply pressing rearwardly upon the extension 03 of the plate (1, say to the dotted position shown in Fig. 6, followed by the substitution of the selected stone as before described and removing the pressure from the plate, the latter by reason of its resiliency acting to automatically project its prong al through the seat opening 0 and em gage the adjacent end of the stone, thus look ing it in position. The finger pressure may be removed from the plate d immediately after the first named stone has'been released, followed by inserting the new stone as first described.

This invention is equally adapted to be employed in other articles of jewelry, as for example, in a collar or cuff-button A, as

represented in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, in which the general construction and arrangement of parts as well as the manner of operation are substantially the same as hereinbefore described. In the last-named figures, however, the shank s is disposed centrally of the front member a and is soldered to its fiverse side, the outer or free end of the shank is provided with a shoe or back head u in a wellknown way.

By means of the invention it will be apparent that a single article of jewelry provided with the improved safety setting may be readily manipulated to remove therefrom and to receive therein interchangeable stones or ornaments at the pleasure of the wearer.

The cost of producing the improved device is comparatively small; it may be made very attractive and ornamental; it is simple in construction and is arranged so as to hold the gems or stones therein in a safe and eflicient manner. As thus devised a single article, as a scarf-pin, cuff-button, finger-ring, &c., asthe case may be, and provided say with a number of independently interchangeable gems varying in color, character or species, is obtained at a greatly reduced cost while at the same time possessing substantially all the advantages and may be s'ubstituted for a corresponding number of units, each carrying a fixed or non-removable single gem.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is 1. In articles of jewelry of the character described, the combination with the front member provided with bent prongs integral therewith, of a resilient back member having a locking prong or lug normally extend- .ing through the wall of the front member and constituting with the other prongs a setting adapted for removablysecuring a gem or stone therein.

2. In articles of jewelry of the character described, the combination with the front member thereof having a recessed seat and normally bent prongs disposed with relation thereto so as to form a setting, of a resilient back plate element secured to the front member provided with a lug or prong normally projecting forwardly throu h the latter arranged to cooperate with sai other pron for temporarily positioning and remova 1y looking a gem or stone in the setting.

3. In articles of jewelry of the character described, the combination with the relatively stationary front member provided therefrom 41nd provided at the rear with a narrow circumscribing rim or flange having a recess therein, of a depressible resilient back plate seated in said flanged and recessed part and secured at one end thereof and a bent prong or lug integral with said platehaving its upper or free end portion normally extendin through the front member for temporari ylockm in position a stone or ornament inserted in the setting.

5. In articles of jewelry of the character described, a head portion consisting of a front member having a plurality offixed permanently bent and positioned outer prongs ararnged-to form a setting, a resilient back member secured'to the front member having a locking prong-integral therewith disposed with relation [to the other prongs, and a projection or lug connected with the back member adapted to be readily manipulated for depressing the back and its prong so as to release a stone temporarily mounted in the setting.

6.. In articles of jewelry of the character described, the combination of a front member provided with fixed permanently positioned outer setting prongs, a self-positioning resilient back plate member having one end-thereof fixed to the rear side of the front piece provided with a locking-prong arranged to cooperate with the other prongs for temporarily securing a stone in the setting, and a shank or stem member having one end thereof passing freely throu h said back plate and being rigidly attached to the front member.

7. In an article of jewelry of the character described, the combination of a front member provided with a plurality of outer fixed positioning prongs arranged to .form a setting, a thin resilient back plate yieldingly secured to the front member having an integral locking-prong movable with the plate and normally cooperating with the said other prongs, and a base-protected stone removably seated in the setting and maintained in position by the said fixed and movable prongs.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

, CHARLES H. ALLEN. Witnesses: 1

CHARLES J. CALLAHAN, C. F. SWEETLANE. 

